Post by maddogfagin on Jun 18, 2013 15:12:37 GMT

Well, this is a real stonker of a release & at nearly 400 minutes long it takes alot of getting through! Well worth it though as it's full of great stuff albeit some of which has been released previously - trouble is I've got so much Tull on DVD & Video I can't remember what I've already got & what I haven't!

Post by tootull on Jun 24, 2013 12:23:58 GMT

June 23, 2013 at 9:49 amJethro Tull – Around the World Live (2013)by Nick DeRisoVideos: somethingelsereviews.com/2013/06/23/jethro-tull-around-the-world-live-2013/When digging through this massive new four-DVD set of concerts from across the storied career of Jethro Tull, “Aqualung” provides a series of revelations — working as a kind of road map for the way the band evolved.

Around the World Live, a June 25, 2013 release from Eagle Rock which chronicles performances between 1970′s Isle of Wight Festival and 2005′s Estival at Lugano Switzerland, also includes photos from frontman Ian Anderson’s personal collection, an expanded interview with Anderson from 1999, and new liner notes from Joel McIver, too.

Through it all, however, the title track from Jethro Tull’s classic 1971 release is a consistent presence, even as it remains ever changing — an echo for the band itself. Here’s a look at this set’s three separate complete takes on “Aqualung,” from 1980, 1996 and 2005 …

Performing the track at in Munich in 1980, Anderson approaches the lyric with a bug-eyed, long-haired mania, ignoring the acoustic guitar slung around his neck — and barking the track’s famously pervy lyric with a delicious recklessness. Every monstrous strum of Martin Barre’s guitar seems to send him into ever more orgasmic fits of howling fury — pushing the period-piece microphone to its very limit. When Anderson arrives, finally, at the song’s brief acoustic interlude, the German crowd bursts into a spontaneous moment of applause — as if to sigh, after the intensity of everything that came before.

Even before Anderson is finished, however, you see Barre getting set up behind him, standing at the ready to unleash another torrent of sound from his poor abused guitar. He adds a few bluesy licks before rejoining “Aqualung” with a suitable bad intent — though, as per usual, the spotlight remains on Anderson’s weird gyrations for far too long, even as Barre explores a boiling solo.

Fast forward to 1996, in Santiago, Chile, and “Aqualung” has a completely reworked beginning. A keyboard, at first, replaces Barre’s titanic riff, and Anderson begins with flute in hand. The song’s inherent danger, its white-knuckle fury, has been replaced by something more contemplative — even, well, pretty — before Barre belatedly makes his triumphal entry.

Save for that shiver-inducing groove, however, Anderson’s vocal continues of a piece with the quieter intro, taking on a far more measured — even, well, ruminative — tack. It’s one of the four-disc set’s most intriguing surprises.

Finally, there’s a 2005 set at Lugano, Switerland, which finds Anderson and Barre resuming their twin spots at the front of the stage, and taking an approach — save for the fact that both have a lot less hair, facial and other wise — that circles back completely to the 1980 performance of “Aqualung” from Disc 1 of Around the World. Anderson sings with a perfectly reckless abandon, while Barre brilliantly saws away on his instrument.

By this point, Anderson has long since begun using a smaller parlor guitar for the acoustic interlude, and it’s here that most completely re-animates the strange, lonesome thoughts of this unforgettable outsider. There’s less of the distracting theatricality from Anderson, though still a tendency from the camera man to spend more time on him even as Barre launches into another memorable solo, this one a wonder of angular design.

I can’t imagine a more comprehensive package of Jethro Tull live than this sumptuous four-DVD box set. Offering over 6-1/2 hours of live footage, much of it previously unreleased, Around the World Live covers the span of the band’s career, from 1970 through 2005. The set features footage from 11 shows held, as the title implies, around the world—from the band’s home country of England to the U.S. to Germany, Chile, Holland and Switzerland.

Along the way, we see the band undergo a wealth of changes—not just in lineup (and there are plenty of musicians who’ve been in this band), but also in style and presentation.

Some may be thrown off by my reference to “the band”, but Jethro Tull is, and always has been, a band, named after the agricultural pioneer who invented a horse-drawn seed drill in 1701. But it’s no wonder there’s been some confusion over the years whether Jethro Tull is a band or a solo artist, as the group’s music has been so dominated by its iconic singer/flautist/acoustic guitarist/songwriter/frontman Ian Anderson.

Just as the late Freddie Mercury defined Queen, so does Anderson define Tull. Not that the other musicians in the band are inconsequential—far from it. They get plenty of camera time in these concert films, and continually impress—especially guitarist Martin Barre, who is in every lineup on this set and whose six-string crunch has defined the band’s sound as much as Anderson’s voice and flute tooting.

Still, Tull has always been Anderson’s show, and this set offers quite ample proof of that. Pop in the first disc, and you’ll see that while he was a bit tentative in the first show, shot in England in 1970, by the second concert of the set, filmed in 1976 in Tampa, Fla., Anderson was in full bloom—manic, burning with energy, and utterly captivating on stage. Whether in his classic one-leg-up pose doing a flute solo, or lurking around the stage embodying one of the characters from his songs (such as the classic “Aqualung”), Anderson was as much an actor as he was a singer, and it was (and still is, on these DVDs) virtually impossible to take your eyes off him. While he wasn’t necessarily the greatest flute player in the sense of pure musicianship, he certainly was in terms of showmanship, using the flute as much for vocal effect as for its own tones—huffing and blowing on and off the mouthpiece for incredible solo moments, making his breathing as much a part of the performance as the actual notes, while the band laid back to do his thing.

Another message this set drives home is that Jethro Tull has an incredible legacy of recorded music. Besides the classics, such as the aforementioned “Aqualung” and “Locomotive Breath” (which appears, in different shows, four times on this set), there are also lesser-known songs such as “Minstrel in the Gallery,” “Heavy Horses,” “Too Old to Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die” and the opus “Thick as a Brick” that are equally impressive and memorable. Anderson’s written a slew of brilliant songs in his career, and the band’s interpretation of them has been a match made in rock and roll heaven.

Along the way, there’s a segment from 2001 in which Anderson reunites with former members Mick Abraham (guitar), Glen Cornick (bass) and Clive Bunker (drums), presumably for the first time in decades. Rather touching, that bit.

Jethro Tull is currently inactive—although, somewhat strangely, Anderson continues to make Tull music—he released Thick as a Brick II under his own name, and without the participation of the band—in 2012. So with the band out of commission as a concert act, this is a prime opportunity to get your Tull fix.

As you’d expect with a set drawing from so many sources, sound and picture quality can vary. Some shows were filmed and recorded better than others, as much due to the available technology as the budgets and talent involved. On some shows, there’s a bit of audio hum discernible on the soundtrack. The audio of a 1980 concert is muffled and distorted—a shame, because otherwise it’s a great show. The camera work can be off at times—blurry, jumpy, focused on the wrong things. Some of the sounds—especially the keyboard tones—may seem cheesy by today’s standards.

It is what it is, but this is still a treasure trove for any Tull fan. The sound and picture greatly improves as time moves on—discs 3 and 4 are uniformly excellent. And this set was edited, mastered and produced with great care. With its beautiful hardcover book-style package, which houses an extremely well-done 32-page color booket along with the four discs, this is the ultimate video collection for Tull fans.Buy Jethro Tull Around the World Live DVD set on Amazon

Post by maddogfagin on Jul 4, 2013 14:10:27 GMT

The release is wrong btw. The Leamington Spa track on disc 3 (My Sunday Feeling) should have been footage of the original line up that was recorded at Kelly's in Leamington Spa on the 29th January 2002.

Post by tootull on Jul 18, 2013 2:55:06 GMT

There is little doubt that the motivation behind the ongoing existence of Jethro Tull is generated by the perspiration of one man in particular, singer and flautist Ian Anderson. As leader of the classic rock band he appears to work incessantly, generating the energy and creativity needed to keep the show on the road.

With a catalogue of albums that stretches back to the ‘60s, the continued fan interest in Jethro Tull’s ever-changing line-up is testament to Anderson’s ongoing hard work and the lasting appeal of their early recordings.

The singer caught up with us from a park bench near his home to talk about the band and the release of Around The World Live. A collection of four DVDs and a hardcover book, the release contains the most footage you will ever see of Jethro Tull in concert.

“When I talk about going to work and putting in a day in the office, putting this package together is what I do,” says Anderson, explaining his approach to the release’s collation.

“This is indeed a series of concerts and there is no choice in the matter because this is all there is. The sum total of anything of acceptable quality that exists in the world of recorded concerts of almost our earliest days – but most of it comes post-70s.”

Anderson elaborates on the lack of very early concert footage: “We did not have recordings … because television was not interested. The only way full concerts got recorded back then were if you commissioned them yourselves. There are some snippets from the BBC and various places, but there were not many complete shows.”

Nonetheless, the included footage still manages to highlight the constantly evolving nature of the Jethro Tull line-up.

“Three DVDs of a lot of shows and a lot of material and band members,” says Anderson warmly. “I cannot recall how many of them are on this collection but there were about 28 band members so you will probably find about 20 different people within the videos.”

Repeating the notion that the travels and performances of Jethro Tull are all work for him, Anderson also reassures that he’s not making light of being an internationally recognised musician. For him, the life he has lived is genuinely one of joyful employment. Almost to the point of sounding like an office clerk when talking about the Around The World Live release.

“It was about three years in the making since I was first approached by a company trying to find everything they could in regards to a compilation,” explains Anderson. “They got a long way down the road with actually sourcing the raw material, with my help in some cases, and by using You Tube and other means.

“It really is a time consuming administrative nightmare with a project like this. You have to talk to so many people and their lawyers and do deals based on the reality that you are not really going to sell a large number of copies compared to days of old. It is something really for the fans, a specialist project, and the expectations of sales have to govern how you put it together.”

The heady day of album sales for Jethro Tull were during the Aqualung and Thick As A Brick records in the early 70s. Even the unlikely upset of Metallica for the first Heavy Metal Performance Grammy in 1988 was astonishing for a group led by a flautist. The peaks of the outfit’s career are now truly in the past.

Despite this, Jethro Tull has amassed a stalwart group of fans around the world, with followers from Iceland to Australia. In fact, Anderson has just returned from Iceland, where the band are frequent musical tourists.

Shows in the past few years have seen Jethro Tull celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Aqualung, the band’s best selling release, while the most recent tour revisits the two Thick As A Brick records. Given that Anderson was once quoted as saying his greatest fear was boredom in old age, how does he feel about that in this time of revisiting past glories?

“My life is very full of the pragmatic matters of organising concert tours, recording sessions and songwriting,” he affirms. “I do not have time to get bored.

“I think my attitude to most of the things I have done … is that you only get one chance in life and it is better to crack on. As you get older you can spend your days fishing or playing golf or watching football. Or you can do what I do, which is think of the goals you still want to achieve and turn the wick up and burn a little brighter.”

He holds a belief that the internet has played a wonderful part in keeping himself and many other people occupied and mentally stimulated as they approach their twilight years. As he calls it, speaking to Mr. Google or Mr. Wiki allows his generation to stay up to date on what is happening in the world.

“Provided that you have a guarded mentality about not believing everything you might read, I think there is a fabulous opportunity for people to keep active mentally and intellectually as you get older,” he muses.

“I think that now that we have that … we can take advantage of it to live profitable, productive and worthwhile active lives during our older age. It is up to take advantage of it and I do.

“I am always on the websites of British Airways and certain hotel chains booking flights and hotels and rooms because … who needs a travel agent?”, Anderson laughs.

Jethro Tull’s website offers a virtual interview so Anderson does not have to repeat himself over and over to music journalists. He has managed this and his other concerns, salmon farming for example, like the archetypal Scotsman he says he is. Rock & roll excess is not for him, but he has positively enjoyed his journey as a rock star.

“When I refer to a day in the office, you have to remember that I work in a really nice office,” he says wryly. “If you are involved in the world of arts and entertainment then a day in the office is not only something you mostly enjoy, but however big the challenge or disappointments are, overall you have a very privileged position.

“Everybody wants to be a rock star. They may not necessarily want to be a flute player, but most people can readily identify with rock gods and sexy front lead singers. It is a romantic kind of thing. It is very easy to attach a lot of privilege to it.”

With that in mind, does Anderson have any regrets?

“There are disappointments which can be artistic where you have a feeling of self-loathing when you leave the stage because you played a few wrong notes,” he replies. “We all fall short of our expectations as technicians and performers, and you hope you overcome them with a sense of an overall artistic feeling of having shared and communicated something in a way that you can’t really do on your own.

“You do need a sexual partner when you step out on stage and the audience is it and you have to make love to them and let them make love to you. It’s quite an intense sharing of a mutual experience.”

The unexpected imagery of that reply illustrates both Anderson’s clear love of life, the ‘work’ that he does, and the very warm sense of humour that buoys him along at the age of 65, in the 46th year of his band’s existence.

“Overall I think the feeling is, ‘what a lucky guy I have to have done this and even more so to still be doing it’. Although I cannot count on a few more years to do this, as long as the machinery is working and as along as the challenge is there to try some difficult things in music it is a very, very rewarding way of life.”

No. 7: JETHRO TULL – AROUND THE WORLD LIVE (LIVE): When digging through this massive four-DVD set of concerts from across the storied career of Jethro Tull, “Aqualung” provides a series of revelations — working as a kind of road map for the way the band evolved. There’s more to it, of course, as Around the World chronicles performances between 1970′s Isle of Wight Festival and 2005′s Estival at Lugano Switzerland. But the title track from Jethro Tull’s classic 1971 release is a consistent presence, even as it remains ever changing — an echo for the band itself.

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention” ― Kahlil Gibran

Post by onewhiteduck on Nov 9, 2014 22:15:42 GMT

Just dusted this off and watched the footage from Santiago 1966. The Aqualung/Aquadiddly is brilliant. When IA plays the flute on the diddly part? it's spine tinglingly ( cant spell it ) good. Martin's guitar and Doane's drumming are exceptional too. Just thought I'd keep you up speed on my Tull evening.

rabey: Thanks for the interest. Unfortunately because Ian/Tull is doing his own book when I sent a request to find John I got stonewalled, even though I have a signed contract by Ian from 2013 stating I was doing a DVD version of The book. I also have had troubleMay 7, 2019 23:11:47 GMT

rabey: I guess after 5 years Ian forgot this even existed. Imean, he never even listed my book with all the other books that have been out of print for decades, yet mine and Tim S still have books in print and we're not mentioned.May 7, 2019 23:13:11 GMT

rabey: I just get the impression that this AND having just dealt with Tull are all they care about really and it peeves me when the truth is when I first got my original contract with a US publisher to write the book with quotes on 3 other books on ELP,Crimson,May 7, 2019 23:21:53 GMT

rabey: and YES, I contacted both Martin and Dave from AND and offered involvement in writing and photography. but Dave said no interest and martin was happy to get his photos printed just for credit. Later Daves book arrived and martin wanted 100 bucks a shot.May 7, 2019 23:25:00 GMT

rabey: Anyway, The publisher refused the cost of photos, Martin wrote the only negative review of the book in print except for Amazon where a few stinkers stalled it's movement, but basically there was nothing advertising the book outside the UK. May 7, 2019 23:29:01 GMT